John Forsyth (loyalist)

Born at Huntly, Aberdeenshire, he was the fifth son of William Forsyth (b.1721) 4th Laird of Tailzerton, and his wife Jean, daughter of George Phynn, Lord of the Corse of Monelly.

John Forsyth focused on the smooth day-to-day running of the company, leaving his forceful cousin to drive it forward.

Forsyth played a supporting role in Richardson's abortive effort to establish the Canada Banking Company in 1792.

Diligent in support of Richardson during the founding of the Montreal Committee of Trade in 1822, he was elected its first chairman but declined the honour and was replaced by Thomas Blackwood.

However, unlike many prominent businessmen, and most notably his partner, Forsyth was not offered, or did not he accept any great number of government appointments.

Jacob Mountain dined in a large company at Forsyth’s home in 1794: "The house itself is elegant, and the dinner splendid... People here are fond of good living and take care to want no luxury".

In August he informed his first cousin Edward Ellice that he was "on the best of terms" with Governor Lord Aylmer and "an intimate and old friend" of Aylmer's civil secretary, John Baskerville Glegg, and he offered to use these advantages to promote the development of Ellice's seigneury of Villechauve, more commonly known as Beauharnois, the management of which Forsyth, Richardson had long supervised.